--- title: "Curved Bench Cushion: How to Measure a Pew or Fire Pit Bench" url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/curved-bench-cushion-measure-pew-fire-pit/" section: "The Cutting Table" author: "Nate Kowalski, The Pattern Engineer of Detroit" author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/nate/" published: "2026-03-16" updated: "2026-09-24" keywords: "curved bench cushion, church pew cushion measuring, fire pit bench curved cushion, round sofa wedge cushion, curved hearth cushion" --- # How do I measure a curved bench, like a church pew or fire pit bench, for a cushion? *A curve looks like one measurement. It is five numbers and a photo. Angles are just lengths in disguise, and a curve is a few more of them.* Also asked as: A curved cushion for an old church pew?; Custom seat cushion around an outdoor fireplace > **The quick answer:** To measure a curved bench cushion, take the inner curve along the front edge and the outer curve along the back with a flexible tape or string, then the straight end-to-end distance and the depth at both ends and the middle. Add a photo. The shop redraws the curve for approval and splits long curves into matching segments. ![Olive green outdoor bench cushion on a rustic wooden dining bench at a laid table under festoon lights at dusk](https://cushionguide.com/media/bench-cushions/olive-green-outdoor-dining-bench-cushion-dusk-1600.webp "A long olive pad on a rustic dining bench, laid for dinner under string lights with linen napkins and olive branches.") ## Key facts - A curved bench needs the inner curve, outer curve, straight end-to-end length and depth at both ends and the middle. - A string laid along the curve and measured flat can replace a flexible tape. - Wedge segments also need the curve depth, from the middle of the inner chord to the arc. - Tracing the seat on paper or cardboard gives a template. - The recommended thickness for curved benches is 2-3 in (5-8 cm). - The shop redraws the curve for approval and splits long curves into matching segments. - Kidney-shaped curves have been declined when a precise fit couldn't be guaranteed. ## Five numbers and a photo 1. **Inner curve**: Run a flexible tape along the front edge, following the curve. No flexible tape: lay a string along it, mark both ends, and measure the string flat. 2. **Outer curve**: Same method along the back edge. It will be the longer of the two. 3. **Straight end-to-end**: Pull the tape straight from one end to the other, across the curve. This is the chord. 4. **Depth, three times**: Front to back at each end and in the middle. Depth can change along a curve, so one reading is not enough. 5. **Thickness and a photo**: 2 to 3 in (5 to 8 cm) is the recommended thickness for curved benches. Add a photo of the seat. ## Follow-up: what about a wedge from a round sofa? A buyer sent one segment of a round rattan outdoor sofa: outer arc 43 1/4 in (110 cm), inner arc 17 in (43 cm), two sides 19 3/4 in (50 cm) each. The shop still needed one more number, the curve depth: from the middle of the straight line across the inner edge to the arc, 11 3/8 in (29 cm), marked on a sketch. That buyer ordered a single segment first to test the fit. Good engineering, partner. The [chord and rise Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/curved-cushion-chord-rise-radius/) explains why that one number fixes the whole arc. ## Follow-up: can I just trace it? Yes. Trace the seat onto paper or cardboard, or draw the curve with its sizes. A curved fireplace hearth cushion was quoted from exactly that kind of drawing. The shop redraws your curve for approval before anything is cut; the [paper template Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/paper-template-for-custom-cushion/) shows the method. ## The honest limit Very long curves are made as matching segments that join cleanly and are easier to handle and wash. Pew, [fire pit](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/fire-pit-bench-cushions/) and hearth curves have all been accepted. A kidney- or banana-shaped backyard bench was declined, because a precise fit couldn't be guaranteed from measurements, and a local upholsterer who can fit it in person was recommended instead. Which shape is yours: an arc, a wedge or a kidney? > **Tailor's margin:** For a curved bench cushion, measure the inner curve, the outer curve, the straight end-to-end line and the depth at both ends and the middle. > A string laid along a curved bench edge, marked at both ends and measured flat, gives the curve length as well as a flexible tape does. > > — Nate ## Buyer questions **A common question:** Can you make a curved cushion for a church pew or a round fire pit bench? **The workshop's answer:** Yes. Measure the inner curve along the front edge and the outer curve along the back with a flexible tape, or a string laid along it and measured flat; then the depth at both ends and the middle and the straight end-to-end distance, plus a photo. The shop redraws the curve for approval, and very long curves are made as matching segments. **A common question:** Can you make a curved wedge cushion for one segment of my round outdoor sofa? **The workshop's answer:** Yes. Besides the outer arc of 43 1/4 in (110 cm), the inner arc of 17 in (43 cm) and two 19 3/4 in (50 cm) sides, the shop needed the curve depth, from the middle of the straight line across the inner edge to the arc: 11 3/8 in (29 cm), marked on a sketch. The buyer ordered one to test the fit first. **A common question:** Can you make cushions for a curved, banana-shaped bench? **The workshop's answer:** The shop asked for the straight end-to-end length, both edges along the curve, depth at the center and each end, and thickness, with 2 to 3 in (5 to 8 cm) recommended, and suggested tracing the seat. After review it declined the kidney-shaped curves, since a precise fit couldn't be guaranteed, and recommended a local upholsterer. **A common question:** Can you make a cushion for a curved fireplace hearth? **The workshop's answer:** Yes. Draw the curve and its sizes on paper and send it; a curved hearth cushion was quoted from that drawing. **A common question:** How do I measure a bench with a rounded end? **The workshop's answer:** Mark where each curve starts and ends and how deep it runs on a measured sketch, or trace the seat onto paper and photograph the template flat next to a tape measure. The shop confirms the shape before production. ## Questions buyers ask next ### What thickness suits a curved bench cushion? 2 to 3 in (5 to 8 cm) is the recommended thickness for curved benches. Send it with your curve lengths, straight length and depths, since it is part of the quote. ### Why split a long curved cushion into segments? Matching segments join cleanly along the curve and are easier to handle and wash than one long arc. The shop makes very long curves this way and redraws the curve for your approval before cutting. ### Can a curved cushion be made from a photo alone? A photo helps, but the curve needs numbers: inner and outer curve lengths, the straight end-to-end distance and three depths. A traced template or a sketch with sizes can stand in for some of those. ## Related at the atelier - [How do I order a custom shaped cushion that isn't a rectangle?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/order-custom-shaped-cushion-not-rectangle/): Order a non-rectangular cushion on the custom-shape (trapezoid) listing, not the rectangle listing. - [How do I measure a curved cushion or a bench with a rounded end?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/measure-curved-cushion-rounded-end/): To measure a curved cushion, sketch the seat with its total width and depth, the straight length of each edge before the curve starts, where each curve begins and ends, and the curve's depth or… - [Are there cutouts you can't make, like a thin notch or a vent hole?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/cushion-cutouts-not-possible-narrow-notch-vent/): Yes, two kinds of cutout don't work: a notch too narrow to sew, such as a recess around a thin middle board on a bench, and small round holes for floor vents. - [How to measure a curved cushion with a chord, a rise and one formula](https://cushionguide.com/guides/curved-cushion-chord-rise-radius/): To measure a curved cushion, stretch a straight line from one end of the curve to the other (the chord), then measure from the middle of that line out to the curve (the rise). - [Custom Bench Cushion as Three Velvet Pads: How to Measure It](https://cushionguide.com/readings/three-velvet-seat-pads-sage-rose-mink-oak-bench/): To measure a bench for separate seat pads, take the usable length at the front and back, subtract the gaps you want, and divide by the number of pads. - [Custom Bench Cushion for an End-of-Bed Bench: How to Measure](https://cushionguide.com/readings/black-white-fleck-end-of-bed-bench-cushion-linen/): To measure an end-of-bed bench for a custom cushion, take the top's length along the front and back and its depth at both ends and the middle, note any legs, posts or cut-outs, and set thickness… - [One printable cushion measuring worksheet for any shape you order](https://cushionguide.com/guides/printable-cushion-measuring-worksheet/) *± 1/4 in — Nate* --- Written by Nate Kowalski (https://cushionguide.com/masters/nate/) for CushionGuide (https://cushionguide.com/about/). The site explains made-to-measure cushions and the partner workshop makes them; measurements are in inches first. This Markdown mirrors the page at https://cushionguide.com/answers/curved-bench-cushion-measure-pew-fire-pit/